novalis comments on What is moral foundation theory good for? - Less Wrong
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There are social groups within which there is a one clear, overwhelmingly dominant individual. That individual is referred to as the 'alpha'. Describing that kind of group/tribe/pack role is what the letter was adopted for in the first place.
(I would agree that alpha and especially beta are being misused in the grandparent.)
In animal groups, alphas control mating (which is what this whole discussion is about). That is rarely true in Western human groups.